


Two Hearts

by The_Littlest_Raindrop



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: F/M, Gets happier as it goes along, Grell being Grell, Mentions of Suicide, Soulmate AU, smut in later chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-01-10 05:57:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12292743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Littlest_Raindrop/pseuds/The_Littlest_Raindrop
Summary: In a world full of capitalism and greed, precious few people decide to seek out their soulmates. You've wanted nothing more than to find yours, but life just doesn't work that way.Driven by the heartache of realising that you may never find your other half, you decide to do something that will change the course of your 'life' forever.Little do you know, it was all meant to be.*Soulmate AU, as requested by another user*





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all,
> 
> As some of you may or may not know, I have a BB one-shot collection, where I ask people to send in requests for stories. Earlier on I received this request from mostunfortunate: 
> 
> 'Maybe [a story] where reader is a new reaper and Grell has to mentor her (there needs to be romance though at some point idek I'm not good at this)  
> Or if you don't like that idea maybe soulmate AU?  
> AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE THAT IDEA: I don't know, sinful smut or something XD'
> 
> Mediocre as I am, I simply can't fit that all into a one-shot… therefore, I shall make it into a short story! It'll probably only be a few chapters long, but it's better than nothing at all :P
> 
> Warning: this first chapter contains mentions of non-con and suicide. The non-con isn't all that graphic (it's about two sentences basically saying you had sex you didn't want), but the suicide is a bit gory :/ therefore, if that's not your thing, I suggest skipping the prologue and reading chapter two when it's up. If you're 'okay' with that, then please enjoy

Your life hasn't been the easiest one.

Born into a poor family, you were the youngest of twelve, most of whom had grown sick or died. Your childhood had been spent roaming the shit-covered streets, desperately looking for coins dropped from the purses of rich men and those wives. Onlookers would turn their noses up in disgust, outraged that the constabulary allowed such a practice. Others would take pity on you, giving you a few pennies straight from their purses.

Those people were few and far between.

Somehow, you'd managed to make it to sixteen, which is when your mark appeared. As soon as someone reaches maturity, a small, grey heart appears on their wrist. When they meet their soulmate, the heart starts to change from grey to pink, before finally turning red when the two souls fall in love. 

However, in this greed-driven society of yours, there are hardly any red hearts. People marry for money these days, never desiring to seek out their true partner. It's a dreadful shame, when you think about it. So many people out there don't know what it's like to be with someone that's been made for them, their perfect other half. You've always vowed never to be one of them, but life has a way of forcing people into things sometimes.

A little after your eighteenth birthday, you lost both of your parents to cholera. The few sibilants you have left all refused to take you in; you were left totally alone.

You'd decided to sell yourself as a maid to a local lord. He was a cruel man, who loved nothing more than to watch people suffer. He had an entire house full of maids, each one of whom acted as his concubine. 

After three years working for the man, the same thing was expected of you. 

It had been a horrible experience, letting someone like him use you like that. He'd been so forceful, failing to take into account your total inexperience. When he was finished with you, he'd demanded that you leave his chambers immediately, forcing you to walk back to your room with his release still tricking down your thighs. 

As you sat on your bed that night, you'd thought about how cruel life is. It's so unfair that everyone is given a perfect partner, only to be made to settle for something else. As you stared at the little grey heart, a thought popped into your head; if you're never going to be complete, then what's the point in living any further? 

You'd procured a knife from the kitchen; now all you had to do was end it all. 

You'd brought the blade across your neck slowly, wincing at the pain. It was almost enough to make you reconsider, until the blood started to drip onto your mark. It made it look red; that was the closest you'd ever get to being whole.

As the life faded from your body, you felt at peace, finally free from the poverty that has dictated your actions since birth, and the heartache of never knowing true love.

\-------------------

Your eyes open wide. You're in a white room, with nothing in the way of furnishings. It's so bright it almost blinds you.

Where are you?

Your memories start playing in your mind, trying to piece together your location. All you can remember is being sat on a bed, slitting your own throat. You should be dead right now! Hang on…

What if you are dead? This could be the afterlife! That would explain why the walls are pristine; no dirt in heaven, after all. Only, this can't be heaven; you committed suicide! You should be in hell! Unless this is hell? That doesn't make any sense. Hell should be all fire and brimstone, not white walls and no pain. Where are you then?

The solution hits you like a cricket ball to the face; you're in purgatory, awaiting judgement.

As you reach this conclusion, a door manifests itself from no where, and an immaculately-dressed man in spectacle comes walking in, striding towards you confidentially, before stopping mere inches in front of you. He produces a book from his jacket, opens it up, and says your name out loud. Your eyes look into his. 'I-I am.' You say, surprised to find that your voice actually works. 

He adjusts his glasses. 'My name is William T Spears. According to my notes, you committed suicide, is that correct?' You nod. 'Excellent. That I'm correctly informed that is. There is nothing excellent about suicide itself, as you're about to find out.

'You are hereby sentenced to an eternity working for the Grim Reapers. Your mortal life may be over, but you have many sins left outstanding. Working for us may eventually clear your moral debt, but I highly doubt that. You are one of us now, so I suggest you get used to it quickly.' You blink at him, totally clueless. Grim Reapers? As in death? You're going to kill people?

You have so many questions, but this man seems unwilling to give you any answers. You stand up, doing your best to look him in the eye. His eyes are unlike anything you've ever seen before; lime green in the middle, with a yellow rim around them. It's almost as if he has two eyes colours in one! You speak to him in an even tone, trying not to drop your gaze. 'I-I'll try to, although I'm still not sure what's happening.' He adjusts his glasses again, scrutinising you as he does.

'I'll have someone explain it for you soon. For now, I need you to put these on and follow me.' He hands you a pair of glasses from his pocket. The frames are thick and black, with rather large lenses. You're confused; you don't need glasses! Still, it's probably wise not to question this man too much; he looks like his patience is already wearing thin. You put them on hesitantly before walking over to the door with him. 

You don't know what's on the other side of that door, but it has to be better than your old life.


	2. Introductions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey,
> 
> Sorry this has taken so long. I really haven't been writing as much as I used to. I'll try to update this quicker next time.
> 
> Well, I hope this is worth the wait :)

William leads you into what looks like a giant office complex, littered with both desks and employees. They're all focused on the work in front of them, although that doesn't stop some of them glancing up at the two of you as you walk by. 

Your destination is, unsurprisingly, an office, one that just so happens to have William's name on the door. 'He must be someone very important.' You think to yourself, as he holds the door open for you.

The office is bland and officious, just like it's owner. There's not a personal possession to be seen, just a large desk with a small stack of paperwork. You hear William 'tsk' behind you. 'My desk was empty when I left. It seems I shall be delayed by paperwork yet again.' You personally don't think it'll take very long to clear, but you're not in a position to make comments. You're still having difficulty taking in your current situation…

William turns around to face you, a stern expression on his face. 'Your mentor shall be arriving shortly. In the meantime, allow me to explain a few things.

'As I mentioned a moment ago, you now belong to the Grim Reapers. We are a race that has existed since the dawn of humanity. It is our responsibility to ensure that souls are collected from humans on the day of their fated end. 

'Over the next few months, you shall be trained in the ancient arts of collection and retrieval. You should feel honoured; we don't often assign women to the collections division. However, as we are ridiculously short staffed, I am willing to give you the chance to prove yourself. You'd do well not to disappoint me.' He glares at you again. William really doesn't seem to like you very much. 

You decide to ask a question, mind slowly accepting your new reality. 'Are you in charge then?' He makes a low noise in the back of his throat, before adjusting his glasses. He reminds you of a bird preening its feathers.

'In so far as you're concerned. I am the member of management responsible for your department. As such, I expect to be shown a great deal of respe-' his answer is cut off suddenly, as someone barges into the office without knocking.

'Is he here yet? Did I miss him? Is he handsome?!' A shrill voice calls out. You turn to face the intruder, and are somewhat shocked by what you see.

The intruder may well be one of the most attractive strangers you've ever seen. Well, maybe not 'attractive' in a conventional sense, but there's definitely something about him. Flowing red locks cascade down his slender frame, like a waterfall made of fire. His clothing compliments his body shape perfectly, like he knows exactly what to wear in order to show off his physique. The most distracting thing is his eyes. Although they are identical to Williams in terms of colour, there's something in them that draws you in. You could easily get lost in those eyes…

William clears his throat. 'You're late, Grell Sutcliff. I was beginning to think I'd have to suspend you again for failure to follow basic instructions.' 

Grell doesn't seem phased by William's threat, as he responds by rolling his eyes dramatically. 'A lady has to get ready before things like this, Will. I wouldn't expect you to understand that.' Hang on, what? A lady?! But she sounds so masculine! You feel the need to apologise, the only problem being that then she'd know what you'd been thinking. It's better if you just keep quiet about your internal mishap.

William violently adjusts his glasses. 'Most wouldn't expect you to understand that either. Anyway, this young lady is the new reaper I want you to train. This is an important task, one that you must not mess up. The paperwork that would be caused by such a failure doesn't even bare thinking about…' There’s an underlying threat in his words, one that isn’t lost on you. Grell however…

‘What, you mean THIS is my new protégé? A woman? I though I was getting a handsome young man, not some weedy-looking woman. Oh Will, why must you be so cruel?’ Cruel? Seriously? You’ve just been told that you’re to spend eternity collecting the souls of the living! All you want to do is crawl away and cry, mind still unwilling to fully accept your situation. This new mentor of yours clearly doesn’t understand your current situation, or else they’d never say something like that!

You’re about to give Grell a piece of your mind, but William beats you to it. ‘Yes Sutcliff, this is she. I don’t remember telling you any gender specifics. This young woman is your responsibility now, so I suggest you start getting used to the idea.’ Grell rolls her eyes again, as if mentoring you is going to be a terribly tedious task. She finally looks you in the eye, a slight glint of malice in her gaze.

'Alright, fine, but you’d better listen to everything I say!' Her voice is so shrill! You're not sure how you're going to cope with that voice training you. Still, you don't really have much choice. 

You straighten yourself up, and look her dead in the eye. 'I'll do my best, Miss Sutcliff.' There, the formality will catch her off-guard. She doesn't seem the time of woman that's used to being addressed formally.

William lets out a snort, which surprises you; he doesn't seem the snorting type. 'That's 'Mr' Sutcliff, actually. Grell often likes to switch gender pronouns at random. Take no notice of it. I certainly don't.' Grell bares HIS teeth in anger, and you flinch. His teeth are razor sharp and pointed, like that of a shark. You wonder if those teeth are just for show, or if he ever uses them when he's collecting souls. Teeth like those could easily cut through flesh. Is that how souls are collected?

Grell spits out a response. 'That's no way to speak to a lady! Stop confusing my new minion!' That's an odd thing to call you, but you don't mind. After all, everything about this situation is weird…

William adjusts his glasses yet again (does he have some kind of problem?!) and smirks at Grell. 'I'll take your words as acceptance of your new position. Now, kindly show this young woman to her new home. You'll begin training first thing tomorrow. Dismissed.' His words have a finality to them, one that you were hoping wouldn't be present. Your mind is finally starting to form questions, as it is finally accepting this as your new reality. You could always ask Grell, but you'd sooner avoid doing that. Grell doesn't seem like the kind of person who takes kindly to questioning.

Grell barks an order at you. 'Well then, you'd better follow me if you don't want to get lost!' He turns to leave, and you find yourself following him without thinking. You don't spare William so much as a parting glance as you exit his office, for fear of losing sight of your new mentor. 

\------------------

Grell weaves in-between the many desks surrounding William's office with practiced ease, the kind that only comes from years of experience. You try desperately to keep up with him, knocking your hips against several desks in the process. He hasn't checked once to see if you're still following him, instead keeping his eyes trained forwards. You only hope he remembers his destination.

Grell suddenly stops walking, giving you time to catch up with him. You hear a voice coming from the space in front of Grell; has he stopped to chat with someone? 

As you finally reach Grell, you discover that your suspicion is correct; he had indeed struck up a conversation with another reaper. You stand next to Grell, wanting to take a look at his new conversation partner.

The reaper in question has the most interesting hair you've ever seen. It's blonde on top, with a darker layer just underneath. You've never met someone with two different hair colours before. Is that considered fashionable here? Maybe you should dye yours…

This new reaper turns his gaze to meet you, a cheeky grin appearing on his face. 'I don't think we've met, love. The name's Ronald Knox, but a pretty young thing like you can just call me Ronnie. You're also free to scream it tonight if you like, after I take you to dinner. Eight o'clock okay?' You're taken aback; what a brazen man this 'Ronnie' is! You've started to blush harder than you ever have before, his proposition so bold and unexpected it throws your mind in a tizzy!

Thankfully, Grell answers for you. 'Keep your paws off of her, Ronnie. She's our newest recruit. She's also my responsibility, so I simply can't allow you to take her out. Will's punishment would be severe if I allowed such a thing… oh, but what a cruel man he can be. It's simply not fair!' A dramatic sigh follows that last statement, and you have to fight the urge to roll your eyes. Grell is certainly an interesting character…

Ronald looks a bit put out. 'Oh, I see. Maybe once you've settled in then? I promise you, I might be a reaper in the office, but I'm a demon in the bedroom!' He gives you another wink before walking away, his conversation with Grell apparently over. Your blush has started to creep down onto your neck now; he's definitely going to be a problem in the future. Maybe Grell will let you hide behind him when Ronald's around…

Grell finally turns to face you. 'Sorry about that. Ronnie has quite the libido, I'm afraid. He's hit on all of the women here at least twice! Anyway, we're almost at our destination. Make sure you stay close to me for the rest of our journey; if you get hurt, it's my head on the block! Such a thing would ruin my hair…' he flicks said hair as he speaks, as if emphasising his statement. He starts walking again, only this time you manage to keep pace.

\-----------------

You eventually reach a rather bland-looking block of flats, all of which look cramped. One of these is yours, of that much you're certain. 

You only hope it's big enough to have its own bath.

Grell comes to a halt in front to number 442, and retrieves a key from his jacket. He puts it in the lock, jiggles it around, and… nothing. 

The door is sticking.

He spends what feels like an eternity jiggling the key in the lock, trying to figure out how to get in. After so many failed attempts, he loses all patience, and is about to kick the door in when it opens with a click. 

Grell tries to regain his composure. 'Ahem, you should probably see someone about that lock, you know. You might end up trapped in here if you're not careful!' He takes the key from the lock and presents it to you. 'This is your new home. It's rather cramped, but it shall have to do for now. 

'Anyway, I'll leave you to get settled in. I shall be back here first thing tomorrow, so you'd better get some rest. What's your name, by the way?' You tell him. 'Hm, you know that's actually quite pretty. I'll try to remember it. Anyway, goodbye minion!' You're about to bit him goodbye too, but he's gone before you can form the words. Oh, well. He didn't seem as though he was up for talking to you anyway…

You enter your minuscule flat, making sure to lock the door behind you. You don't know anyone here yet, so it's probably wise not to leave your home unlocked. Anyone could walk in if you did that…

The flat itself consists of two rooms. The first room acts as both your kitchen and your bedroom, with a stove in one corner and a mattress in the other. 'Great, no real bed then.' You say out loud in the empty room. At least the mattress looks clean… 

There's also a small pile of fresh linens, and various articles of clothing on the bed. One of the items is a nightgown, which you plan to change into as soon as you've scoped out the second room…

The second room contains two things; a toilet, and a large copper tub. 'At least I get my own bath.' You say, but the words feel wrong. There's too much optimism in that statement. Right now, optimism seems like the wrong attitude. 

Right now, all you really want to do is cry.

So you do. You fall to your knees, and cry your eyes out. Your sobs are loud, and sure to be heard all throughout the building, but you don't care. You don't care if every living being ever created hear your sounds of grief. You're in mourning right now, after all; in mourning for yourself, and the life you've thrown away.

If only you'd found a different way to deal with the demons in your mind. If only you hadn't been so rash. Now you're stuck in a tiny little flat, in a strange world filled with beings you'd only ever heard stories about. Hell, now you're one of those beings! The one thing you regret more than anything is that you've denied yourself the chance to meet your soulmate. The one thing in life that you've always wanted was to find your perfect partner. Now that's never going to happen…

You look down at your mark, planning to scratch at it until it turns red, just as it had been dyed crimson with your blood as the life had faded from your body.

What you see on your wrist turns your sobs into a gasp.

The mark is no longer grey. It has a pink hue to it. That can only mean one thing…

You've met your soulmate.

The only question is; who is it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun, dun, dunnnnnnn… who could it be? Well, if you've read the description, that should be fairly obvious :P but our heroine doesn't know that! How shall she uncover her soulmate's identity? You'll just have to wait and see…
> 
> Again, I do apologise for the delay. Hope to see you soon


	3. Accord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey,
> 
> Sorry it's taken so long to update again. I really haven't done as much writing as I'd like these last few months. I'm going to alter my routine in the coming weeks, which should hopefully get me back into the swing of writing everyday again.
> 
> In the meantime, thank you for your pantience, and I hope you enjoy :)

It's been a month now since you 'joined' the grim reapers, and you're finally beginning to come to terms with your situation. You're still not completely comfortable with it, but you're certain better than you were a fortnight ago.

A small part of your newfound acceptance is your mentor Grell, who has really stepped up since your rather rocky introduction. It turns out he's actually quite a nice person, if you can get used to his pendulum temperament and eccentricity. So far, the two of you have only covered a few basics, like how to hold a death scythe properly, but you're learning. You're training with him this morning actually, if you ever work up the energy to leave bed.

You've also managed to make some friends, which is something that had initially surprised you. A lovely couple by the names of Alan and Eric have become surrogate brothers to you, constantly inviting you over for dinner and the like. The two of them are so perfect together, that you weren't at all surprised to learn that they're soulmates.

That brings you on to the main reason you've started taking things so well; at some point during your very first day here, you met your soulmate for the very first time. 

You only wish you knew who it was.

You've spent your entire time here thinking back on that first day, trying to figure out who it is that you're destined to be with. 

The first person you'd met was Will, followed by Grell, then Ronald… the only problem is, you'd also walked through a whole room of people. What if one of them is your soulmate? What counts as 'meeting'? Do they only have to see you, or is a 'hello' required too? You wish you knew, but you have no idea. You're also too afraid to ask anyone if they might be your soul mate. What if they get angry, or lie and tell you that they are just so they can use you? You'd find out the truth eventually, but not before they broke your heart.

You sigh heavily. You really shouldn't be reminiscing like this. Not when there's training to be done. 

You manage to force yourself out of bed, hissing quietly as your bare feet touch the floor. It's been unseasonably cold lately, or so you've been told. Truth is you don't know what season it's supposed to be here. Still, you suppose it's just another thing you'll get used to in time. 

You get dressed hurriedly, not wanting to be unclothed for too long. As a grim reaper, you're expected to be well-dressed at all times, so you have to wear a shirt and trousers (skirts are also permitted, but there's no way you're going out with bare legs today). You've also taken to wearing a waistcoat, subconsciously mimicking Grell. You'd normally wear a tailored suit-jacket too, but today you've opted for a long, black coat, which is sure to be much warmer. You complete the outfit with thick woollen socks, and a pair of formal-looking shoes. They're relatively new, so they still rub your heel a little when you walk.

Finally, you put on your plain black spectacles, the same pair William had given you on your first day. Your eyesight has gotten progressively worse since your initiation, an apparent side effect of being reborn as a reaper. Soon your eyesight will be completely useless without your specs. It's not something you're looking forward to…

Now that you're finally dressed, you leave your humble abode to hunt down your mentor. He's usually still getting ready about now, combing his hair or something similar. You've teased him about his vanity before, to which he'd replied 'just because you don't need to worry about your appearance, that doesn't mean I don't have to!' When you'd questioned the meaning behind his words, he'd brushed you off completely, mumbling something about 'natural beauty'. You'd blushed profusely, assuming he'd said something complimentary. You're not entirely sure though. For all you know, he could have been talking about his own natural beauty…

You stop your train of thought before it goes somewhere you'll regret. Lately, you've been finding yourself admiring more than Grell's skill as an instructor. Many a time you've caught yourself staring at the crimsonette, your eyes zooming in on certain parts of his physique. He has a rather wonderful backside…

No, you've just told yourself not to think that way. There's no point attaching yourself to someone before you know who your soulmate is. It's folly, complete and utter folly. That still hasn't stopped you fantasising about him from time to time at night though…

You reach Grell's house, a semi-detached two bedroom house in a slightly better part of 'town' (if this place counts as a town). He must have been a reaper for a long time to afford a place like this, that's for sure.

You give his door a firm knock, your heart mark showing just above your sleeve. It seems redder than it did to begin with, but that's to be expected. You've had multiple conversations with just about everyone in your department. You wonder if your soulmate knows about you yet, and if he's been looking at his heart, too. Is he looking for you? Does he know you're his soulmate? If he does, is he even interested in you? 

The door opens seconds after you knock. Clearly, Grell has been expecting you. 

'Good morning, my dear. Ready for another day of training? I warn you, I'm not going to take it easy on you today! You'll be sore by the time I'm finished with you!' He winks at you, bringing his hands up and making a sideways peace sign with two fingers. 

You giggle at him. 'Don't get a girl's hopes up, now.' You're surprised at your own boldness. You don't often tease Grell back like this. It must be your thoughts from earlier taking control again. 

Grell grins, showing off his shark teeth. 'Well, aren't you witty this morning? Good, glad to see my little minion is eager. After all, it's no fun trying to play with someone boring. Shall we away to the training grounds now? I'd hate to keep a lady waiting.' He practically skips out of his house, and starts heading in the direction of the training ground. 

As you continue on your journey, he starts whistling to himself, clearly in a good mood. This is a rare occurrence for him, as he's not one to show his mood like this. He usually hides his feelings behind a wall of drama, playing them off as if they're nothing important. You're certain it's a defence mechanism of sorts. You only wish you knew why he feels the need to defend himself…

You decide to comment on his changed attitude. 'It looks like you're in a good mood this morning. Care to share?' 

Your question earns you another wink. 'Perhaps. It depends if you can keep a secret.' Oh, so he does have a reason then? This you have got to hear.

'I'd promise to take it to my grave, but it's a little too late for that. Spill the beans.' Your sense of humour has taken a turn for the morbid lately, which you suspect is a coping mechanism. 

Grell grins again. 'Alright then. So, I was was taking my nightly bath last night, when I started to think about my soul mark. I've always kept it bandaged up, as I figured I'd never find the one. However, last night I was feeling particularly maudlin, and decided to take a peek, to remind myself how I'll be forever alone. But, when I took the bandage off, I saw it. My mark has turned pink! I've finally found my soulmate! Well, I say finally. It must have been at some point in the last century or so, as that's when I last checked it. 

'Just thinking about it sends my head into a tizzy. To think that there's a handsome knight here somewhere, waiting to sweep me off my feet… the heart is already quite pink, so it must be someone I know rather well. Oh, the mystery is killing me! I must know who it is!' You take a moment to digest his words. It looks like he's having the exact same problem you are. 

You smile warmly at him. 'It's funny you should say that. I too have recently discovered that my mark has changed. It happened the day I arrived here. That means my soulmate is here, too.' 

Grell hugs you suddenly. 'Oh, that's wonderful news! Both us gals have handsome men waiting to please us. Who do you think yours is? I bet it's Ronnie, the sly dog. Oo, if anyone could tame that wild thing, you could! You'd be a good influence on him.' You elbow him playfully.

'I doubt anyone could tame him, soulmate or not. He's not the settling down time. Anyway, who's to say he's not yours?' 

Grell gasps. 'As if I'd ever date that. No, he's really not my type at all. I like my partners loyal, thank you very much. I just hope my soul agrees…' he suddenly looks quite sombre, to the point where you regret your teasing.

Suddenly, you're hit by a brilliant idea. 'Why don't we help each other find out soulmates? It'll much better than searching on our own!' 

Grell lets out a shriek of excitement. 'What a marvellous idea, minion! If we pool our resources together, it'll make the task all that easier to complete. With your brains and my beauty, we'll find our other halves in no time!' His joy radiates from him now, and you can't help but feel it too. You feel something deep in your chest, a silent emotion desperate to break free. By agreeing to help Grell, you've inadvertently discarded your own feelings for him, in favour of giving him to someone else. 

It breaks your heart a little, but at least it's breaking now, before it's had time to develop any greater feelings.

You let out a small laugh, trying to hide your inner hurt. 'It's settled, then. Oh, how do you know your soulmate is a man, by the way? For all you know, it could be a woman, like Jill from records, or Susan from Requisitions.' 

Grell scoffs. 'Of course it's a man. What woman would want me, eh? No, I'm almost certain it's a man. What about you? Should I be adding women to your search parameters?' He winks salaciously.

'It all depends how pretty they are.' You reply, mimicking his gesture. He laughs, and playfully swats your arm.

'That's my minion, always willing to keep an open mind. With that attitude, we'll have you fixed up in no time with mr or miss right.' You're about to answer him, until you realise where you are.

You've been so busy talking that you've reached your destination without even noticing. 

It's funny how only he can distract you like that…

As Grell prepares the room for your training, you mentally cross him off of your list of potential soulmates. It's not as if he's the one, after all. He probably met his match ages ago, but didn't notice thanks to his own reluctance to hope for such a thing. You should focus your attention on the other two suspects, starting with William.

As you begin training with Grell, you make a mental note to tell him of your target. He's your partner is crime now, after all.

It's just a shame that that's the only partner of yours he'll ever be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I explained earlier, I'm playing around with my schedule, so expect a new update within the next two weeks (which is slightly better than a month (I'm so sorry about that)). 
> 
> Hope to see you then :3


	4. Slip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, 
> 
> Told you I'd be quicker ;) 
> 
> I also have a quick shout out to make. Do any of you like Sebastian x Ciel fics that are both poetic and lamenting? If so, I recommend checking out a story called Silver over on Wattpad. It's by a user called whentheghostsdance, who recently asked me to review it for them. It's definitely worth checking out, if you've a mind to :)
> 
> Now for the story that I wrote. Enjoy :)

It’s been a week since you agreed to team up with Grell to search for your soulmates, and so far all you’ve done is make a list of potential partners. 

Your list had been very straightforward. Turns out that in order for the mark to change colours, both parties have to make eye contact, and at least one of them has to say their name. Since the only people you’d been introduced to on your first day were William and Ronnie (and Grell, but he doesn’t count), then one of them must be your soulmate.

Grell’s list however has been… problematic, to say the least. He’s introduced himself to hundreds of people since the last time he’d checked his mark, so it could be anyone. All you really have to go on is the fact that his mark is about as colourful as yours, meaning that it must be someone he has regular contact with. It also stands to reason that his soulmate is a more recent acquaintance, as it would be far more vivid if he’d known the person for a long time. In the end, he’d managed to come up with twenty suspects, the vast majority of whom are male. When you’d asked him why all of them weren’t male, he’d shrugged and said ‘Just because I prefer men, doesn’t mean I can totally exclude women. I find some women rather attractive, as it happens.’ His answer had surprised you a little, given his constant talk of finding Mr Right. Still, it’s good that he’s keeping an open mind. That way, you’re less likely to overlook things…

With your list complete, it’s finally time to come up with a plan of action. That’s why you’re both currently sat in Grell’s living room, trying to find ways to discover who your perfect other half is. So far, your mentor has quizzed you on your likes, habits, and ideal type, hoping that either William or Ronnie will match up with you. So far, it turns out to don’t have much in common with either of them.

You let out a sigh. ‘It’s hopeless, we’ll never figure out who it is at this rate. I should just accept the fact that I’ll never find the one...’ 

Grell scoffs. ‘That’s ridiculous! You’ve already found the one, it’s just a case of getting him to notice you! Besides, what do I know about true love? Just because you don’t have much in common with either man, it doesn’t mean that they’re not the one. Opposites attract, as they say. Now, why don’t both put our heads together and think up ways of getting both men to notice you? Once you have their attention, it’ll be a piece of cake figuring out which man is your soulmate!’ His idea seems like a fairly sensible one, but you’re really not sure. Attracting male attention isn’t something you’re particularly well practised in. In fact, you’re particularly good at avoiding it, as you’d managed to last three years as a virgin in the house of your former master. Quite a feat, considering his lustful nature. You wonder who’ll be in charge of collecting what’s left of his soul when he dies…

You smile softly at Grell. ‘That seems like a good idea, but I’ll need lessons on how to attract them. I take it you can help me out there?’ 

Grell makes a squeaking noise. ‘Well, given my track record, I’m not sure if I can. Still, I’m sure it’ll be fine. If they’re the one, they’ll eventually notice you. Then again, what do I know? I could have had my mark for years, yet no one has noticed me...’ He starts to look heartbroken. You can’t stand to see him like this. It isn’t right that he’s had to wait so long to find the one. He’s someone that you think is worthy of love, even if no one else does. You only hope that his partner cares for him as much as you do, otherwise there’s going to be hell to pay.

You place one of your hands over his. ‘I’m sure they’ve noticed you, Grell. They’re probably just too shy to say anything. Either that, or they haven’t checked their mark in a while either. I’m sure that, in time, your soulmate will throw themself at your feet, and beg you for a kiss.’ 

Grell places his free hand over yours, and gives it a gentle squeeze. ‘I doubt that, but thank you for saying so. Anyway, it’s time to think of a plan for each man! I think I have a sure-fire way to get Will’s attention!’ Grell stands suddenly, his hold on your hand causing you to stand with him. He drags you up the stairs, and into his bedroom!

You can’t contain your blush. You’ve thought about him taking you here many times, albeit under more risqué circumstances. Thinking of your fantasies really doesn’t help your situation, and you start to feel a little dizzy.

Grell drags you over to his wardrobe, which takes up an entire wall. For a man who you’ve only ever seen wear the same outfit, he certainly has a lot of clothes!

You come to a halt in front of it, and Grell makes sure that you’re facing him before he starts speaking. ‘So, boobs or legs, which one is your better asset?’ Well, that’s not a question your attractive mentor asks everyday. It’s also not one that helps ease your current state of mild arousal. 

You do your best to answer without sounding too flustered. ‘Um, I don’t really know. No one’s really complimented me on either so...’ You shrug your shoulders. 

Grell rolls his eyes. ‘Honestly, how can you expect someone else to love you when you don’t love yourself. You have to be more confident, minion. Confidence is sexy, after all. Well, so is appearance, which is why I’m giving you a makeover! By the time I’m finished, every man in our realm will wish he’s your soulmate!’ He pulls open the wardrobe, revealing all manor of women’s clothing. From blouses to stockings (and shoes to match), the whole wardrobe is like a mini boutique!

Grell pulls out a white blouse, one that’s formal enough to wear at the office, but flashy enough to attract attention. He holds it against you, trying to imagine how you’d look in it. He clearly likes what he sees, because he nods his head approvingly and gives it to you. He then reaches into the wardrobe again, pulling out a skirt this time. You’re suddenly filled with dread; not a skirt. Anything but that! It’s not even a full length skirt! It’s still far too cold to wear something like that! Still, you’re willing to trust Grell on this. He has your best interests at heart, after all. Speaking of which…

‘Why have we spent most of our time focusing on me? You’ve been waiting far longer than I have, so surely we should be focusing on getting you paired up.’ You feel a bit guilty for ignoring Grell’s soulmate search. He should be the focus of your plan, really. 

Grell gives you a salacious wink. ‘When I find my other half, I shan’t be letting them leave the bedroom for weeks. If we don’t find yours first, I fear I may abandon you in favour of sex!’ Well, at least he’s honest. He’s also put quite the image into your mind. You wouldn’t mind being shacked up with him for a few weeks, spending ever waking moment pleasuring each other…

A tense silence fills the air, and you realise that Grell is expecting some kind of retort or witticism. You can think of neither, mind too busy trying to dispel your lustful imaginings. Grell looks you dead in the eyes, almost as if he’s trying to read your mind. Afraid that he’ll discover you hidden crush, you clear your throat and avert your eyes, trying to clear away the tension. Grell grabs your chin, forcing you to look at him again. This time, his eyes aren’t searching for something, they’re showing you something. 

Lust.

You feel your cheeks heat up, the intensity in his eyes affect you in ways you’ve never truly been affect before. You’ve become hyper aware of his proximity, his lips mere inches from yours. It would take no effort to close the gap and taste them, feel their softness against your own lips. You suddenly hunger for a taste of them, just one little peck. It can’t hurt, can it? What’s one kiss? It’s not like you’re betraying your soulmate. Plenty of people kiss other people before meeting the one. Just because you know you’ve met your soulmate, that doesn’t mean you can’t explore other options, too. Your soulmate doesn’t even know you’re his yet. One kiss, that’s all you want. One perfect kiss…

Grell seems to have same idea, as he slowly leans in, closing the gap between you. 

You don’t move at first, shocked that he’s decided to make the first move. It takes a few seconds, but eventually your lips begin to shift ever-so slightly underneath his, as your mind finally accepts what’s happening. Grell, your mentor and closest friend, is kissing you. 

The hand on your chin moves to the back of your head, gently bringing you closer to him. You both drop what you’re holding, his plan to give you a makeover temporarily on hold. You wrap your own arms around his neck, wanting to close the remaining distance between you. Your whole body feels light, as if your soul is trying to escape from it. This is the first real kiss you’ve ever had, and you’re loving every moment of it. 

After a few moments, you break the kiss, and look into Grell’s eyes. The heat in them seems to have simmered off a little, most of it replaced with something you can’t identify. The edges of his lips curve up to form a small smile, and he whispers something to you.

‘I have never envied anyone more than I envy the man who gets to call you his own.’

His words hit you like a bucket of cold water. You’re doing the one thing you told yourself you wouldn’t; you’re falling for someone who isn’t your soulmate. It was stupid of you to think that one kiss would be okay, that one kiss wouldn’t matter. With that kiss, he’s set you up for heartbreak. With one kiss, he’s jeopardised your chance at happiness. 

With one kiss, he’s doomed you to heartbreak. 

You have to leave now, before things get even worse. 

You run away from Grell as fast as you can, going straight down the stairs and out the front door. 

As you make your way back to your flat, you try to convince yourself that you felt nothing, that his kiss meant nothing to you.

It’s a lie, but one that you have to believe, not only for yourself, but for the man you’re falling in love with too.

\---------------

Grell stares at the door, surprised and saddened by her sudden departure. He hadn’t intended to kiss her like that. He hadn’t intended to kiss her at all! He knows full-well that she belongs to another, that she isn’t his to kiss. Yet, when he looked into those beautiful eyes of hers, he found himself unable to resist. Who would have thought some crude remark about sex could lead to something so beautiful, so pure? Grell has had many first kisses over the years, but none of them have ever felt like that. It was as if his whole world was changed by the kiss. Time seemed to stand still and speed up all at the same time, and for a few moments, he felt complete, like she and him belonged together. 

He knows thinking like that is dangerous, that it’ll only end in them bot getting their hearts broken, but he can’t stop himself. He wants her, more than he’s ever wanted any more. He begins to wish that soulmates didn’t exist, that people could chose their own soulmate. 

Most of all, he begins to resent William and Ronald, because one of them is going to be what he knows he’ll never be; her perfect other half.

Just as he thinks that, something else occurs to him that brings hope into his heart. Her heart appeared on her first day. Her soulmate is someone that she was introduced to on her first day. So far, they’ve only considered two potential soulmates, yet she met three people that day. 

He could be her soulmate. 

The idea seems like too much to hope for, but he considers it anyway. The biggest piece of evidence against it is that surely, if they are soulmates, she would feel something towards him? He’s had a crush on her from day one, which has slowly morphed into something else over time. Does she feel like that? Why hasn’t she told him if she does? And why hasn’t she considered that he might be her soulmate? 

His heart tells him that she must feel something. No one kisses like that if they don’t mean it. That kiss was the real thing, the genuine article. There was feeling in that kiss, he’s certain of it. Or is that just his mind telling him what he wants to hear? 

No, he can’t think like that. He has to have faith in his instincts, and they’re telling him she meant that kiss. And if that’s true then maybe, just maybe, he has a chance of winning her over, of convincing her to give him a chance. He’ll do whatever it takes to win her over, to convince her that he could be the one for her.

Whatever it takes, even if he has to risk his heart to do it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... Things are beginning to get interesting now, don't you think? If you don't, then I'm sorry, I'll do better next time :(
> 
> Speaking of next time, I hope to see you all soon :)


	5. Intoxication

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey,
> 
> Sorry I'm a little late with this one. My anxiety has been flaring up a little lately, so I had to take some time off to look after myself before it got any worse :/ Still, never mind, eh? At least I'm back now :)
> 
> I hope it was worth the wait ;)

It's been a week since you walked out on Grell. One long, and terrible, week.

After your kiss, you'd gone straight to William, and requested some time off. He'd initially scoffed at your request, until you'd lied and said it was for mental health reasons. He'd been somewhat more accommodating then, clearly thinking you planned to harm yourself. He'd given you two weeks, insisting that you look after yourself properly during that time. You'd felt bad for lying, but it is really a lie? After that kiss, you've been going crazy, so maybe your mental health is at risk.

Or maybe you're starting to fall in love with Grell.

You keep telling yourself that it's wrong, that you shouldn't, but is it? You're a grown woman, after all. You should be allowed to feel what you want. Besides, are soulmates really that important? Does finding that perfect someone really matter, or can you find true happiness with someone else? William and Ronald are both nice guys, but you just can't see yourself with either of then. Maybe if Grell wasn't in the picture, you'd be able to see clearly, but he is, and you can't! You need to cut him out of your life if you ever want to find your soulmate.

Thinking like that makes your heart ache. You've grown so used to him being a part of your life, even if you haven't known him for very long. Life without him will be tough, but you'll cope. You'll have to cope.

You've been having this argument with yourself for days, yet you're still getting nowhere. You wish you had the guts to speak to Grell, to explain your feelings to him. Alas, you just can't bring yourself to do it. You just know he'll reject you, despite the kiss. It was a heat-of-the-moment thing, a stupid mistake. You know how much finding his soulmate means to him. You can't ask him to give that up for you. You don't expect him to either. You need to gain control of your feelings, before they ruin your friendship.

You sigh heavily. You haven't left your flat once this past week, dreading bumping into Grell by accident. You're beginning to go stir-crazy, left alone with nothing but your thoughts. You really need to do something, but you don't know what you can do. If only someone would invent some way to communicate with people from a distance…

A knock on the door breaks you out of your thoughts. You have a visitor.

You slowly approach your front door, mind warring with itself. One part of you really hopes it isn't Grell, as it simply isn't ready to talk things through with him yet. The other half prays that it is him, so you can have it out with him once and for all.

You slowly open the door. The identity of your visitor surprises you great.

Standing just in front of your front door is a very dishevelled-looking Ronald Knox. His hair is a complete mess, his glasses are wonky, his shirt is buttoned up incorrectly, his tie is loose and askew… and he's brandishing some kind of bottle. He looks like a drunk!

When he opens his mouth, you can smell alcohol on his breath, confirming that he is in fact drunk. 'He-y sexy. Wha're ya doin' all by yurself? Sexy lady like yyouuu desvur som' compan-ny. Mind 'f I come in? An' come in, 'f ya get me.' He doesn't wait for an answer, instead opting to barge straight past you. He's so drunk he's slurring his words completely, a few of them even being punctuated with burps. You don't feel safe being alone with him when he's like this, but you can't exactly send him away either. You need to convince him to fall asleep, then go find someone to help. The only question is who?

William is completely out of the question. If he finds Knox like this, he'll punish him severely. As a friend and potential soulmate of yours, you can't sell him out like that. 

Maybe Alan and Eric? No, that won't work. Alan's been too sick to do much lately, and you can't risk getting Eric into trouble, should William find out you're covering up Ronald's drunken state.

The only other person you can ask is Grell. You know that, despite what he might say, he does genuinely care for 'Ronnie'. He's also not one to shy away from trouble, especially if he gets into it defending someone else. He's taken quite a few verbal bashings for you, without a single moment's hesitation. It makes you feel quite jealous knowing that one day, he'll be defending his soulmate, instead of you.

Ronald flops down onto your mattress. Well, at least your plan is part-way there. Now you just need to get him to use it as intended. You should probably try to take the bottle away from him, too. You don't want him in an even worse state.

Hesitantly, you sit next to him, taking care to leave some distance between you. He grins at you, and it's a weird cross between goofy and predatory. You hate to admit it, but it makes your skin crawl.

Ronald attempts speech again. 'So, wha've ya been doin', all by yurself? Been thinkin' 'bout me? 'Course you haf, eve'one wantssapiece of me. Mm worwide handsomeeeeee. Women loves me. 'Cept, the thingggg isssssa… apparently, I don' love them. Ss bullshit! I do love women… you belief me, right?' He must be drunker that you'd first thought if he's beginning to question his sexual identity. At least, you think that's what he's trying to say. You're having difficulty understanding him.

You try to communicate with them. 'Of course I believe you, Ronald. Why don't you give me that bottle and get some sleep? You'll feel better after a little nap.' You move to take the bottle from him, but instead he downs the contents, some of it missing his mouth and staining his shirt. The smell of alcohol is becoming quite unbearable. He's going to feel rotten tomorrow.

Ronald casts the bottle aside, and it lands on the floor with an unceremonious 'bang'. He twists his body around yo face yours, almost falling off of the bed in the process. Then, he does something that makes your skin crawl even further. He uses his hand to hike up your night gown (you regret not getting dressed to answer the door), and rests his hand on the bare flesh of your thigh, stopping it halfway between your knee and your thigh. You've only felt this uncomfortable once before, back when your former master had ordered you to whore yourself out to him. Those memories aren't helping you at present, and neither are Ronald's accompanying words.

'I'll prove homuch Iluve women. I'll take yo' ss hard, yull feel me for a weeeeeek.' With that he lunges at you, slamming his lips against your own.

You tense up, mind unwilling to believe what's happening. One of your potential soulmates has barged into your house, drunk and completely uninvited, and started to force himself on you. Today really can’t get any worse… unless of course, he ends up doing more than just kissing you.

Ronald forces his tongue inside your still-stationary mouth. It rubs against your own, and all you can taste is the alcohol he just imbibed. His kiss doesn’t feel at all like Grell’s. There’s no tenderness to it, no feeling behind it. It doesn’t spark anything in you other than pure repulsion. You really hope he isn’t your soulmate. You don’t know if you could ever love someone who’d do something so horrible as get drunk and force himself on someone. You need to get him off of you.

Both of your hands move to shove him away, but he doesn’t budge. Instead, he tightens his grip on your thigh, and uses his free hand to paw at one of your breasts. He groans into your mouth, and you become even more determined to escape his clutches.

Just as you start to hit at his shoulders, you hear a voice from behind you. ‘What the Devil is going on here?’ Your heart suddenly feels so much lighter. You’d recognise that high-pitched squeal anywhere.

It’s Grell.

Ronald is started Grell’s appearance, giving you an opening. You push away from him with all of your might, and he finally loosens his hold. You run from him as fast as you can, heading straight towards Grell. You wrap your arms around him tightly, clinging to him for dear life. He starts awkwardly stroking the top of your head, as if he’s still unsure what’s happening.

Thankfully, Ronald saves you the trouble of explaining, by doing it himself in his own special way. ‘Oi, disnt fair. Thaaat’s my birdd. I was gonna… whatwis I gonna do? Oh yeah! I was gonna prove t’ her that I like boobiessalot. And we were gonna do things ‘n’ stuff. So yeah, psss off ‘n’ stuff. Go shaga man ‘r something.’ Ronald begins to approach you, before tripping over the empty alcohol bottle. As soon as he hits the floor, his eyes close. For a moment, you’re concerned he’s knocked himself out, until you hear him snoring gently; looks like he’s fallen asleep on your floor.

Grell lets out a heavy sigh. ‘Oh dear, I’ve never seen him this bad before. Are you going to be okay alone for a while if I take him home? I promise, I’ll come straight back. You and I need to talk, but we can put off that discussion for the night if you’d rather. I’ll happy act as a shoulder for you to cry on if you need it.’ Why must he be so perfect? So kind? He’s making it so much harder on you…

Despite your misgiving, you hug him tighter. ‘Please be quick. It was so horrible, Grell. I was so scared I… what if he’s my soulmate? What if I’m destined to be with him?’ You begin to sob, unable to stop yourself. What if he really is your soulmate? How are you supposed to forgive him for this?

Grell delicately coaxes your chin up, allowing you to look in his eyes. There’s something in them you don’t recognise. Understanding maybe? As if he knows something you don’t. His words seem to support your idea, as he speaks softly to you. ‘Don’t worry about that, my dear. In fact, that’s one of the reasons I came to see you; I think I know who your soulmate is. Now, why don’t you put the kettle on? I’ll be back before you know it.’ You take a step away from him, his words taking you by surprise. How has he figured it out? Is he right? Who is it?

Before you can ask, Grell steps past you, hoists Ronald up over one of his shoulders, and leaves your flat, closing the door behind him (something that Ronald had mercifully neglected to do). You decide to take Grell’s advice, and put the kettle on.

As the kettle whistles to life on the stove, you glance down absent-mindedly at your mark. It’s been a while since you last took the time to look at it, not wishing to torment yourself over your feeling for Grell. What you see brings even more tears to your eyes.

Your mark is more vivid than ever, the red of the heart bright against your skin. That means that the relationship between you and your soulmate has progressed significantly lately. That still doesn’t narrow down your options though, as your relationship with both William and Ronald has improved lately. Your treacherous heart can’t help but remind you that your relationship with Grell has also changed, but you’re quick to silence it. You’ve just spent days torturing yourself over it, you can’t let this continue. You have to get that man out of your mind, because you go out of your mind.

You only hope that Grell really does know who your soulmate is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, thoughts? I'm thinking of wrapping this story up soon. I have a few more chapters in mind, then I think I'll end it. Fear not, however, as I do have a few ideas for in-universe one-shots, so I might make this work part of a series (If anyone is interested in such a thing).
> 
> Anyhow, that's it for now. Hope to see you again soon :)


	6. Another Point Of View

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey,
> 
> I hope you all had a nice Christmas. I'll be aiming to get the next chapter up by the end of the year, but I make no promises :)
> 
> Right then, here we go ;)

It's been a week since Grell last saw his mentee, and he misses her terribly. His life feels incomplete without her gentle smiles and her sweet little laugh. He misses teasing her over her training, and he misses talking to her about his life. He wants nothing more than to see her again, but he's terrified of how she'll react.

All because he kissed her.

Despite all of his pining for his pretty little minion, he can't bring himself to regret his actions. He's thought of nothing but that kiss ever since it happened. He can still feel her soft lips pressed against his own, and the heat from her body against his fingertips. He'd trade all the hair on his head for one more taste of her, but somehow he doubts she feels the same way. Or maybe she does, and that's why she's isolated herself in her tiny little flat. Is she hiding both herself and her feelings? 

Whatever her reasons, he made a promise to her that he must keep. He had promised to help her find her soulmate, and he intends to do just that. Not just for her sake, but now for his own. Maybe finding her soulmate will give him closure, will help him to move on and find his own. 

Or maybe, just maybe, she is his own. In that case, it'll give him a reason to throw himself at her feet, and beg her for a chance to prove that he can love her like no other. 

Personally, Grell is really hoping it's the latter. 

That's why he's currently on his way to William's office, about to question him about his own romantic situation.

It seems almost suicidal, asking his uptight and tight lipped boss about his love life. Nevertheless, it has to be done. William is one of only three potential soulmate candidates, the other two being Ronald Knox, and Grell himself. If he can conclusively rule out even one of his unknowing competitors, it'll give him a better chance of discovering if he truly has a claim on his formally-secret crush. Well, perhaps 'crush' is too weak of a word to describe his feelings, but he can't bring himself to use the 'L' word until he knows he has a chance. Better to lie to himself than to risk heartbreak. Then again, she's definitely worth getting his heart broken over…

Grell soon finds himself stood outside of William's office. Normally, he'd just barge his way in unceremoniously, but given the circumstances, he decides to knock. After hearing a stained 'enter' from the other side of the door, Grell enters the office with uncharacteristic timidity.

William watches him come in, a look of pure confusion hiding behind his specs. He's clearly noticed that Grell is behaving abnormally, and is probably wondering why.

Grell nervously clears his throat. 'May I take a seat? I have something that I wish to discus with you.' 

William rolls his eyes. 'Very well, Sutcliff. But I warn you now, if this has anything to do with anything outside of work or your own mental wellbeing, I'll throw you out if this office so quickly that you'll break the sound barrier. Is that understood?' William can be so cold at times. Grell hopes that he really isn't her soulmate. She's not the kind of woman who would flourish under such frosty conditions.

Grell takes a seat. 'It's my mental wellbeing I've come to discus. More specifically, my soulmate.' He subconsciously rubs his mark without looking at it, trying to draw strength from it. Yet as soon as he strokes it, all he can think about is her, and that makes him feel so afraid of finding the truth. He finds himself wishing that people could choose their soulmates, rather than having them chosen for them. If he could choose, he'd choose her in a heartbeat.

Grell is expecting William to respond in his usual monotone voice, which is why he finds himself flinching at William's harsh words, and tone of voice. 'For fucks sake, when are you all going to learn?! You can't control these things! I can't control these things! The soul wants who it wants, and you just have to live with that! If you're unhappy with your soulmate, feel free to ignore her. I'll even arrange to have her transferred. I cannot change things, however. She is your soulmate no matter what, so learn to live with it!' 

Grell's head begins to spin. She? Transferred? Soulmate? William knows who his soulmate is? She's a she? Is she she? She must work in his department, so it could be her. It should be her. He hopes it's her. Is it really her?

Grell tries to articulate his thoughts. 'Who's my soulmate? All I know is that I've met them, I don't know who they are. I mean, I know who I'd like it to be… that's another reason I'm here. Because the woman I'm falling in love with may very well be your soulmate!' He said the 'L' word without even thinking, his hope taking over his caution. She really could be his. She really could be. He needs hear William say the words before he can doing anything about it though.

William clears his throat. 'Ah, well in that case, I apologise for my outburst. I've been under a lot of stress lately, most of it due to my own soulmate search. I've known the identity of mine for little over a century now, and have only recently worked up enough nerve to tell him. Suffice it to say, he hasn't taken the news well. Perhaps that's why I was more than willing to play matchmaker for you. I hope you're referring to your new trainee when you say you're falling in love with someone, or else there is going to be a great deal of heartbreak on the horizon.' 

Grell stares at William in disbelief. Is he dreaming? Please let this be real. She really is the one? His little minion is his eternal other half? His soulmate is the young woman he'd once been so rude to in this very office? He can feel his heart expanding in his chest. All he wants to do is run straight to her flat, pull her into his embrace, and make love to her the whole night through. But first, he has to make sure that William isn't mistaken.

'How do you know that she's my soulmate?' William seems so sure, but he could be wrong. After all, his soulmate had assumed there were only two candidates. If she can overlook something like that, surely there's a chance William could be overlooking something?

William does something a Grell rarely sees; he smirks. 'You seem to forget what we do, Mr Sutcliff. It is our job to collect and categorise souls. When I examined her cinematic record, I saw you there, a man that she had never met. Souls seldom lie as tongues do. If you're still in doubt, then check your mark. If your feelings for her are so powerful, I imagine it's looking very red indeed by now. Am I wrong?' Grell shifts his gaze to his wrists, and discovers that William is not. His mark is vivid and pronounced, not unlike those belonging to people who have confessed their feelings to their perfect other half. There is only one person Grell cares for that much; her. 

Grell smiles at William, gentle tears falling from his eyes. 'Thank you, William. Though, I do believe I've taken up enough of your time. Who's your soulmate, by the way? I'd be more than willing to talk to them for you, see if I can't get them to at least talk things through with you.' 

William smiles sadly in return. 'I appreciate your offer, but I fear it won't make a difference. Knox can be very suborn when he wants to be, and the revelation that his soulmate is male has severely damaged his ego. It's probably better to leave him be for the time being.' Oh, so William and Ronald are each other's soulmates? That's something Grell wasn't expecting. It's also further proof of his own soulmate, not that he needed it at this point. All that's left for him now is to convince her. He only hopes she's willing to accept him.

Grell stands up, and sticks out his hand for William to shake. Normally, he'd force the man into a hug, but he doesn't want to make him feel uncomfortable. He wants to spread his joy, not make someone else unhappy.

William takes his hand, and gives it a firm shake. 'I wish you the best of luck, Sutcliff. Oh, and take next week off if you wish. She still has a week of leave left, and I imagine she'll want to spend it with you.' 

Grell shakes his head in disbelief. 'William T Spears, I never knew you were such a soft touch!'

The smile William was wearing turns into a scowl. 'Tell anyone about this, and you'll be working double shifts for the rest of your existence.'

Grell laughs. 'Fear not, Will, for your secret is safe with me. You're doing me a great kindness, after all. Speaking of which, I'm off to see my perfect little minion. I'd say wish me luck, but I won't need it; she's made for me, after all.' With that, he sprints from the office, and heads straight for her flat, thinking up ways to tell her what he's just discovered.

Meanwhile, William sits alone in his office, lamenting his own romantic failure. He only hopes that Grell finds reciprocation, because rejection is the worst thing William has ever had to deal with.

\---------------

Grell moves faster than he ever has before, wanting to be at flat 442 more than anything else in the world right now. How should he reveal all of this new information to her? Should he sit her down and explain it properly, or take her into his arms and kiss her until she gets the message? Maybe both? Both would be amazing, but maybe talking is best to start off with. 

A voice nags at him from his subconscious. 'What if she doesn't want you? After all, who'd want you? No one has ever reciprocated your advances, so why should she? You really need to stop getting your hopes up like this.' The voice stops him in his tracks. What if it's right? What if she does reject him? Can he deal with that? Or will it finally be enough to break him? After all, just because they're meant to be together, that doesn't mean she'll want to be. Just look at Will and Ronnie…

'No. Enough of that.' He tells his inner voice. 'I'm not William, and she's definitely not Ronald. We are our own people. Both of us have been desperately searching for our perfect partner our whole lives. I am more than willing to take her as mine, and I have no doubt that she'll reciprocate. Well, maybe a few doubts, but so what? If I don't tell her, I'll spend the rest of my life living with regrets, and I'd rather die than live a life like that!' Satisfied that he's silenced his doubts, Grell marches on.

When he arrives at his destination, he's shocked to discover that the door to her flat is already wide open. Panic immediately sets in; why is her door wide open? Is she airing out the flat? Has she popped out and left it unlocked? Has someone broken into her house? He needs answers, and he needs them now. He refuses to allow any harm to befall his soulmate. If someone has done something to her…

He peers into her flat, and is taken aback by what he sees. 

She's sat on her bed, with her back to him, and Ronald is sat next to her. There's a faint smell of alcohol in the hair, leading him to believe that at least one of them has been drinking. What really surprises Grell is what the two figures are doing. 

They're kissing. His soulmate is kissing another man.

From what he can see, Ronald is clearly enjoying himself, touching Grell's soulmate in ways no man other than Grell should be allowed to. The sight fills Grell with both a great sadness and a possessive rage. Rage eventually wins out though, as he examines his soulmate properly.

Her body is as still as a statue, with the only exception being her arms. She looks as if she's trying desperately to push Ronald away, leading Grell to believe that this exchange is one-sided. But why would Ronald be kissing her if he has his own soulmate? 

Oh. Now it makes sense. Ronald has always been a ladykiller. Discovering that his soulmate is a man must have come as quite a shock. The poor boy is provably confused, and desperately trying to prove that he's straight. Grell can't help but empathise slightly with him. After all, Grell has always preferred the company of men, yet his soulmate is a woman. The only difference is that Grell is willing to accept that his soul desires someone his mind wouldn't have considered at first. Maybe having it a little chat with Ronald would help, after all…

But first, he has to get the boy away from his woman.

Despite having been stood in the doorway for a good few seconds, Grell decides to act as if he's literally just arrived on the scene. 'What the Devil is going on here?' 

Within seconds, his soulmate is cowering in his arms, clearly terrified of Ronald. She's about to answer his question, but Ronald interrupts her in spectacular fashion.

'Oi, disnt fair. Thaaat’s my birdd. I was gonna… whatwis I gonna do? Oh yeah! I was gonna prove t’ her that I like boobiessalot. And we were gonna do things ‘n’ stuff. So yeah, psss off ‘n’ stuff. Go shaga man ‘r something.’ Ah, so he's the reason Grell can smell alcohol. Why do people insist on drowning their sorrows like this? All it ever does is make you look foolish…

Speaking of looking foolish, Ronald somehow manages to trip over a bottle of booze, fall headfirst onto the floor, and fall asleep. The boy is clearly a terrible drunk.

Grell can't help but sigh. 'Oh dear, I’ve never seen him this bad before. Are you going to be okay alone for a while if I take him home? I promise, I’ll come straight back. You and I need to talk, but we can put off that discussion for the night if you’d rather. I’ll happy act as a shoulder for you to cry on if you need it.’ 

She hugs into him as tightly as she can. 'Please be quick. It was so horrible, Grell. I was so scared I… what if he’s my soulmate? What if I’m destined to be with him?’ She lets out a small sob, and it breaks Grell's heart. He decides there and then that he never wants her to feel sad ever again.

Grell coaxes he head up so he can look her in the eyes. He tries to convey everything he's learnt today without using any words, but it's proving to be difficult. Perhaps he should try speaking instead. ‘Don’t worry about that, my dear. In fact, that’s one of the reasons I came to see you; I think I know who your soulmate is. Now, why don’t you put the kettle on? I’ll be back before you know it.’ She seems shocked at his revelation, taking a step away from him. Grell silently laments the loss of contact, but it does give him the chance to pick up Ronald and haul his drunken backside out of his soulmate's flat.

He carries Ronald back to his flat, hoping that the man has some aspirin handy; he's going to need it when he wakes up. 

Grell rummages through Ronald's pockets, trying to find the key to his flat. Thankfully, he finds it quickly; he does't want to leave his lady alone for too long.

He deposits Ronald down on his bed, before fetching him a glass of water and some aspirin (which Ronald does thankfully have) and placing it on the bedside table for when he wakes up. He also takes a moment to write Ronald a little note, not wanting him to forget what just happened. 

It reads;

Dear Ronnie,

You are an idiot. That's it, that's all I want to say. After all, what else can I say? It's not as if you'll listen. People with an ego as large as yours never do. You're probably wondering what I'm talking about, aren't you? I'm talking about you being too proud to admit the fact that you and William are meant for each other. Don't try to deny it! You and he are soulmates, the perfect pair. Why would you allow pride or your own ego get in the way of that? Talk to the man, talk things through with him. He's there for you, even if you don't want him to be. Please, just give him a chance. After all, you're not the only one who's destined to be with someone a little… unexpected. 

Love, Grell

P.S. if you EVER kiss my soulmate again, I'll emasculate you with my death scythe. Are we clear on that?!

Pleased that he's gotten his message across, Grell leaves Ronnie's flat, and heads back to see his soulmate once again. 

He only hopes that he doesn't have to deal with another drunken reaper this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> … there may or may not be some smut in the next chapter ;)
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed it :3


	7. The Penny Drops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey,
> 
> So, here it is, my final 2017 upload. It's been an interesting year for me personally, full of firsts. First fanfic, first laptop, first new year's eve without booze... I didn't say they were all good firsts ;)
> 
> Speaking of firsts, I think I have one that you'll all enjoy (hopefully).
> 
> Here we go!

It feels as if Grell has been gone an eternity, rather than a few moments. For the first time in a while, you’re beginning to feel lonely. You’ve never been one to mind only having your thoughts for company, but right now all you want is a familiar face to talk to. Ronald’s little stunt has put you on edge, to the point where you don’t feel safe at the moment. Anyone could barge in here like he did! At least with Grell present, you’d have someone present to help you. At the moment, all you have is your fragile state of mind and a kettle full of hot water. Speaking of which, now would be a good time to fill up the tea cups. Grell shouldn’t be too much longer, after all. He did promise he’d be quick…

As you pour water into the two cups, you begin to wonder if your distorted sense of time also has something to do with Grell himself. More specifically, the conversation the two of you will have to have upon his return. You wish more than anything you could delay it. Hell, Grell himself had even said that you could put it off for the night! But in your heart, you know that he and you need to talk. In your heart, you know that you have to stop avoiding him.

In your heart, you know you have to tell him how you feel.

Hiding your feelings from Grell has caused you nothing but upset. Maybe if you’d been willing to talk things through with him the day after he kissed you, instead of running to William and begging for time off like a coward, today would never have happened. If you had only been honest, you might have been able to avoid this little ‘incident’. Still, now is not the time to lament about the past. Now is the time to think about the future. More specifically, what you’re going to say to Grell when he comes back.

The best thing to do is to sit him down, tell him how you feel, then assure him that you won’t let your feelings get in the way of either your friendship, or his soulmate search. Or, you could sit him down, tell him how you feel, and offer to request a transfer! Or maybe you shouldn’t say anything. Maybe you should show him that turnabout is fair play, and kiss those soft yet firm lips of his one last time, before he tells you that you’re destined to love another. One last kiss, the kiss of death for a relationship that never was…

You feel tears wells up in your eyes, not from fear this time, but from a sadness that fills your mind and makes your chest feel heavy. How cruel fate is, allowing you to fall for someone you have no right to want. Maybe all those people you’d seen during your human life were lucky, after all. Maybe having a soulmate is more a curse than a gift. Your searching has brought about nothing but pain, and your own death. How can that be a good thing? If only you’d cast aside your childish desires, you could be living a perfectly happy human life. You could have left your former master’s employ, and found a job elsewhere. You could have met a perfectly nice man, gotten married, and started a family. Your like may not have been totally complete, but at least it wouldn’t be as empty as your life here is. You’re not even a trained reaper yet. There is nothing good in your life, nothing except…

Your friends. All the wonderful friends you’ve made here. Friends who you know will always stand by you, no matter what. Friends who will help you when you need it, and never turn you away. Friends that love you, and appreciate you. Friends like Grell, who you know would do anything for you, just as you’d do anything for him.

That’s when it hits you; isn’t what you’ve just described a soulmate? All this time, you’ve been telling yourself that Grell can’t be your soulmate. However, you’ve never really taken the time to consider that he might be. The timing fits, that much is certain. You know you have strong feelings for him, and you were attracted to him straight away (although that really doesn’t mean much).  
Then there’s the kiss. That one perfect kiss… you could almost feel your very soul yearning for him! Surely he must have felt it too? No one kisses like that without feeling something at least. He meant every single second of that kiss, of that much you’re certain. In fact, you’re willing to bet everything you own that if you kissed him, he’d kiss you back with just as much passion as he displayed on that one fateful afternoon last week. In fact, you could test that theory out when he gets back…

Oh, dear. You’re doing it again. Letting your thoughts run wild with not a single thought given to reality. What if all of your ‘evidence’ is pure coincidence? Just because you want him to be yours, that doesn’t mean that he is. Ronald wanted you earlier, after all, doesn’t mean that he got you. 

The final metaphorical lightning bolt hits you. It doesn’t matter. None of this matters. All that matters is how you feel. Who cares if Grell isn’t your soulmate? That doesn’t make your feelings any less real or valid. If you’d be happy to go back and live a normal, human life with someone who isn’t your soulmate, why can’t you live an abnormal, reaper life with Grell? You finally come up with a course of action. When Grell returns, you’re going to sit him down, tell him how you feel, then give him three options. He can choose to either ignore those feelings, request that you apply for a transfer, or he can agree to give up his search for his soulmate in exchange for all of the love you possess. That’s all you can offer him, but it’s his if he wants it. God, you hope he wants it.

A soft knock on the door breaks you out of your thoughts. It’s followed by a muffled voice saying ‘It’s me. I’ve taken Ronald home. Can I come in?’ You rush over to the door immediately, eager to let Grell back in.

Unfortunately, you door decides that now is the perfect time to play up.

Try as you might, the damned thing still won’t open. You’re about to break it down via brute force, when it suddenly opens completely of its own accord. You and Grell share a perplexed look, before he says ‘I see you ignored my advice about the lock then. You’ve given me no choice, I’m calling someone on your behalf first thing!’ You giggle, pleased that he’s joking around with you. Then again, won’t that just make it harder to talk to him? 

No, it won’t. Grell knows when to be serious, and he’s definitely going to prove it when you start talking to him.

You step to one side so he can enter, his hand brushing against you as he does. His touch sends shivers down your spine, though not from fear. You daresay it’s a combination of desire and anticipation, the two igniting a fire under your skin that you have no intention of ignoring for long. If things go your way, that is…

Grell takes a seat on your bed, just as Ronald had. You make sure to shut your door this time, not wanting to be disturbed. After all, you know you’re safe in here with Grell. Physically, at least. Your heart however…

You finish off the teas quickly, before handing one to Grell and taking a seat next to him. He inhales the vapours from his drink before taking a huge gulp of it. He makes a small noise of satisfaction, before quickly downing the rest of it! You stare at him in disbelief; how can anyone drink hot tea so fast?!

You’re about to ask him just that, but he beats you to it, answering your unspoken question with a shy smile. ‘Sorry about that. I tend to drink tea rather rapidly when I’m nervous. I hope that it didn’t unsettle you.’ 

You get up, and place your tea back next to the kettle, deciding that now is as good a time as any to talk to Grell. As you approach him again, he stares at you, uncertainty in his eyes. It’s a curious look for someone as confident as Grell, but it’s a look you’d like to see more of. You like it when he shows his vulnerable side. It means that he trusts you, just as you trust him. You only hope he’ll still trust you after you’d said what you need to say.

Grell clears his throat. ‘I meant what I said earlier, you know. If all you want is a shoulder to cry on, I’m here for you. I don’t want to burden you with this if you’re not feeling up to it. I fear it may come as a bit of a shock...’ Ah, he must be referring to the identity of your soulmate. You’d almost forgotten about his earlier statement. He knows who your perfect partner is. He could tell you right here and now who you’re destined to be with. With just a few words, he could tell you what you’ve always wanted to know.

You shake your head at him. ‘I don’t want to know who it is.’ 

Grell looks completely baffled. ‘You what?! What do you mean you don’t want to know? This is all we’ve talked about for weeks! Why have you suddenly decided to give up on finding out the truth, when it’s literally right in front of you!’ He looks like he’s about to stand up, so you resort to doing something drastic; you straddle his lap.

If you thought Grell looked baffled before, now he looks like his brain has shut down due to overstimulation. His hands instantly grab onto your thighs, bare now due to your night gown being forced around your waist due to your position. The heat of his hands on your bare flesh is almost too much, and you almost abandon speech in favour of kissing him. However, you know that you need to tell him how you feel before you can even consider such a thing.

You lean over, so that your mouth is next to his ear. In the most seductively sincere voice you can muster, you whisper to him. ‘I don’t care, because I want you. I’d rather spend the rest of my days in your arms, never knowing who my soulmate is, instead of living a lifetime with somebody else. I know that I’m asking a lot, but if you’d only give us a chance, you see-’ Grell leans his head backwards, and gently touches his lips against your own.

His kiss is so sweet and sincere that it brings a tear to your eye. Is this a kiss goodbye? 

He mumbles his next words into your lips, keeping the two of you as close as possible. ‘You silly girl. You don’t have to convince me to give you a chance. We were made for each other.’ He brings his marked wrist up to meet your own, resting his forehead on yours as you both look down at them. 

As you stare at your twin markings, everything suddenly becomes crystal clear. Your soulmate has been right beside you from day one. You feel a little foolish for not realising sooner, but that doesn’t matter now. All that matters is the here and now, and right now all you want to do is stay in this moment forever. 

You stare at the marks for what feels like an eternity, before a wave of pure passion washes over you. You reconnect your lips with Grell’s, only this kiss is far more forceful. His hand immediately returns to your thigh, and he squeezes them both as he tries to deepen the kiss. Your hands tangle in his hair as you allow his tongue to slip its way into your mouth. Your own tongue tries to venture into his, before you remember that his teeth are razor-sharp and pointed. You’d rather not kill the mood but cutting your tongue on them, so instead you settle for rubbing your tongue against Grell’s, moaning at the contact. 

Your little moans send Grell into overdrive. He uses his grip on your thighs to switch your positions, pinning your body to the bed with his own as he continues to plunder your mouth. Gravity brings his spectacles down to hit you in the face, your own specs absent due to the fact that you didn’t bother to get dressed at all this morning. Right now, you’re wishing Grell had also neglected to get dressed; you’ve love to feel more of his bare skin against yours.

As if he can read minds, Grell tosses his spectacles to one side unceremoniously, before breaking the kiss and standing before you. 

He licks his lips as he looks at you, your bodies close enough that he can see you clearly, despite his poor vision. He looks as though he’s about to start undressing, but he stops himself. You tilt you head at him, your brow furrowing in confusion.

Grell turns the same shade of red as his hair. ‘If this is too much too soon, please say so now. It’s just… I want you so badly right now. I need to feel your skin against mine, to hear your heart beating in time with mine. If you don’t want that right now, please tell me. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop once I’ve started.’ His words send an involuntary rush of moisture straight between your legs. The thought of Grell coming so undone because of you… your decision is an easy one.

You bite your bottom lip. ‘I want it. I want us to make love, right here and now. I’ve waited my whole life to find you. You’re everything I’ve ever dreamt you’d be. I don’t want to wait any longer. Please, Grell, make love to me.’ You swear his eyes glaze over completely at your words. It looks as if he’s finally succumb to his desires. You can still barely believe that you’re the cause of such a thing. You decide to do something that ought to really send his lust into overdrive; you sit up, and lift your night gown off of your body, revealing your bare breasts to him. You lean back, giving him the best view of them you can. You’re eager to learn how he’ll respond to such a bold act. 

His response is to undress with such haste that you begin to wonder how often Grell has been in a situation such as this. You turn your mind away from such pointless thoughts, instead opting to get a good look at your completely bare soulmate.

His body is something quite spectacular. You’re tempted to burn his clothes, as they do nothing to truly compliment his physique. All of his muscles are perfectly well-toned and defined, without being too big. He has a few scars on his arms and torso, probably due to work-related issues. You try to ignore what’s hanging between his legs, but try as you might you just can’t help yourself. You’ve never really had the chance to see a penis up close and personal like this; the only other time you’ve come into contact with one, the whole event was over in minutes. Besides, back then you had no desire to explore or investigate. Right now however, you’re wondering how something a thick and as firm-looking would feel in your mouth. 

Deciding that now is as good a time as any to find out, you reach your head forward, and take his erection into your mouth,

Grell’s response is immediate. His hands both grab your hair, and he lets out a moan loud enough to let all of your neighbours know exactly what the two of you are up to. You really can’t bring yourself to care though; you’re too far gone for that. It seems as if though lust is beginning to cloud your mind too, as you feel your body moving of its own accord. One of your hands slips into your underwear, the one remaining piece of clothing on either of you. You’re not certain exactly what you’re looking for in there, but you seem to find it, as you touch something that causes you to moan around Grell’s length. 

That proves to be too much for Grell, as he gently pulls you off of him, before pining you to bed again. The feeling of his bare flesh against your own is even better than you’d thought it would be. He grabs the hand currently in you underwear, bringing your fingers up to his lips. He takes them into his mouth one at a time, sucking on them, tasting the evidence of your blatant masturbation. 

Content that he’s licked them clean, he releases your hand, and turns his attention to your underwear. He grabs either side of the flimsy fabric, before ripping it in two in an almost primitive display of force. You wrap your legs around his waist, rubbing yourself against his erection. You can hear how wet you are, and the sound is driving you wild.

Grell lowers his mouth down to one of your breasts, taking a nipple into his mouth. You can feel his sharp teeth against your sensitive bud, and for a moment you’re concerned he’s going to break the skin with his ministrations. The pleasure his action brings is more than enough to distract you from your worries however, as he begins to alternate between nibbling and sucking. The litany of moans now coming from your mouth only spurs him on further, as he decides to switch breasts, ensuring that both sides have been given equal attention. All you can do is close your eyes and lose yourself to all of the wonderful sensations flowing through your body. You don’t know how much more of this you can take. You’ve never known pleasure like this before, and you begin to wonder if every night with Grell will feel like this, because Lord knows you don’t want this to be your only night with him.

Grell finally grants you a momentary reprieve, if only to line himself up with your opening. This is it now, the main event. The moment you’ve been waiting for ever since your mark appeared. You and your soulmate are finally going to be joined in both body and soul. After tonight, the bond between the two of you shall be known to all that look at you, and you’ll have finally connected with the one you’re destined to love. You can’t but weep with joy.

Grell leans over you to kiss away your tears, despite his own eyes threatening to water. His smile is so beautifully sincere, as he looks into your eyes. ‘I’ve waited so long to be with you. I can’t believe I’ve finally found you. I swear, now that I’ve found you, I’m never going to let you go. You’re mine forever now, if you want to be.’ He intertwines one of his hands with his own, while the other one wraps one of your legs around his waist, giving him full access to your most intimate area.

You try to spread yourself further without thinking, willing him to enter you at last. When he doesn’t move, you verbally spur him on. ‘I want to be yours, Grell. All you have to is clam me as your own.’ That’s all the encouragement he needs, as he begins to ease himself inside him.

You can feel your inner walls contract and expand around Grell’s length, as he pushes himself deeper and deeper inside you. You’re more than a little relieved that he’d taken the time to play with your body beforehand, as it would have been much harder for him slip into you without your arousal proving much needed lubrication. Finally, he manages to fill you completely, his hips flush against your body. Your bodies slot together perfectly, like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. If there was ever any doubt that the two of you are destined for each other, then this moment removes it entirely. Only two soulmates could fit together as well as the two of you. 

Grell seems to be fighting the urge to move, undoubtedly worrying about hurting you. You squeeze his hand reassuringly, trying to urge him to move. ‘I won’t break, you know. You can move as much as you like. I’m all yours, after all.’ You offer him a kind smile.

He does begin to move, but slowly, slipping out of you as if he has all of the time in the world. He re-enters you just as gradually, filling you to the hilt again before repeating his actions. After a few thrusts, he responds to your statement.

‘All the more reason for me to treat you properly. We have all the time in the world explore each other, to find out how to please each other. I don’t want to ruin our first time together by being too rough with you. Let me show you just how tender I can be tonight, then maybe I’ll be willing to let myself go another night.’ He draws you into a deep kiss, one that makes your heart feel full of love. He’s already proving himself to be a wonderful soulmate, the kind you’ve always dreamt of. Once again, you choose to give yourself over to sensation, trusting that your partner knows just how to make you feel pleasure.

Grell doesn’t disappoint you, as he moves his hand up your leg until it reaches a point just above your opening. He moves his thumb in slow, lazy circles there, as he continues with his almost frustratingly gentle thrusts. Whatever his thumb is doing is driving you wide, and keeps causing your body to spasm at random moments. Grell doesn’t seem as all phased by that, moaning into your mouth and quickening his movements slightly. Your own moans mingle with his, the two noises combining to create a symphony of pure euphoria. This is what it must feel like to truly make love to someone, to give yourself over to another. From this moment on, the two of you are no longer separate beings. You are one being, comprised of nothing but joy and love. 

You begin to feel something building in your groin. A strange feeling, one that you’ve never felt before. It’s like someone has lit a fire between your legs, and you want nothing more than for Grell to further stoke the flames. 

Grell seems to realise exactly how you’re feeling, as he breaks your kiss in favour of latching his mouth onto your neck. The unfamiliar pleasure that it brings enhances the feeling in your groin, to the point where you’re certain you’re going to die due to an overdose of pure euphoria. Finally, after a few more well-timed thrusts and rubs, your pleasure seems to come to a head, temporarily stealing away your ability to do anything other that scream Grell’s name loud enough to wake everyone within a mile radius. He doesn’t halt his movements, keeping them steady as you experience the single greatest high of your life. You only hope that Grell gets to experience a similar high soon; you want to share this feeling with him.

Almost as if on queue, Grell lets loose a deep moan, his movements becoming erratic and uncoordinated. He ends up biting down on your neck as he stills within you, something warm flowing into you as he does. He thrusts into you a few more times, though there’s little energy behind his movements. When he’s finally spent, he collapses on top of you, his softening erection still inside of you. Both of you are breathing erratically, as if you’ve just ran a marathon. His body is crushing yours a little, but you haven’t got the heart to ask him to move. In fact, you don’t want him to. You want to stay entangled with him like this forever, the two of joined for life.

Unfortunately, things never quite work out like that. 

Eventually, Grell becomes just a little too heavy for you, and you have to tentatively push him away. He gets the hint remarkably quickly, and rolls off of you immediately, his release trickling down your leg as he pulls out of you. You watch him as he begins to settle down next to you, his eyes casually roaming over your body.

That is, until they widen in alarm. 

You begin to panic upon seeing Grell’s expression. What is it? Why is he looking at you like that? Surely he doesn’t regret what just happened…

He moves your head away from him, and you have to fight back tears. He can’t even bare to look at you know…

You feel a light pressure against your skin, followed by a gasp. ‘Oh dear. I’m so sorry. I got too carried away. Let me find something to clean you up with.’ He jumps off of the bed with a surprising amount of haste given how tied he was a moment ago. Out of curiosity, you place your hand where his has just been, only to find that you feel rather sticky. You pull your hand away from your neck to examine it, and let out a gasp when it finally comes into view.

Is that blood?

Grell returns to you with a wet cloth and a bandage, looking thoroughly contrite. He begins to wipe away at your injury, trying to clean the area as best he can before applying the bandage.

He begins to blurt out more apologies. ‘I’m so sorry, my love. It must have bitten down on you a little too hard in the heat of the moment. I swear, I won’t let it happen again. I don’t want any harm to come to you ever again. I’ll even knock all of my teeth out if they’re going to become a problem! Anything to keep you from getting hurt. Please forgive me.’ You raise a hand up to cup Grell’s face. He looks so afraid, like he’s worried you’re going to kick him out or something. As if you’d ever do that to him. You’ve no intention of losing your soulmate over something so trivial. In fact, you have no intention of losing him at all.

You smile at him. ‘It’s fine Grell, truly it is. I’ve never happier than I do right now. Besides, what’s a small mark like that between lovers? At least people will know we’re intimate now.’ 

He seems to perk up a little at your words. ‘After that performance, I think the entire realm knows what we’ve been up to. I almost feel bad for them, knowing that they’ll never be able to take you as I just have. I am a very lucky man indeed.’ His gaze has your heart fluttering. How long do you have to wait before you can make love again?

Knowing Grell, you’ll be screaming his name again in no time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish you all a Happy New Year, and I hope to see you all again soon :)


	8. It Can Wait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello,
> 
> I genuinely can't apologise enough for keeping you all waiting. As regular followers of mine may already know, I've been having a lot of difficulties lately. In fact, this chapter has been sat half-finished on my laptop for about two weeks now. But, it is finally done, even if it is a little shorter than I had planned it to be. It's also the penultimate one, so expect one more update after this one. 
> 
> Once again, let me say how sorry I am to all of my readers, and I hope my tardiness hasn't put you off completely.
> 
> Well, here it is…

The early morning sun invites itself into your tiny room, an unwelcome visitor in your dwellings; you were hoping the night would last forever.  
After so long wondering, pining, and denying, you’ve finally become one with your soulmate. There are no words that could possibly describe the pure elation you feel, your long held dream finally a beautiful reality. Said beautiful reality is sleeping soundly next to you, his face buried into the crook of your neck. You and Grell have spent the entire night entwined in one way or the other, whether it be in the midst of passion or simply snuggled together. Your perfect other half has been so loving and attentive, you’ve never known someone quite as affectionate as him.  
After injuring you with his teeth, Grell had decided to bite into your pillows instead, his teeth tearing them to shreds as he took you again and again. He did apologise profusely afterwards, but you just laughed it off; a few pillows are a small price to pay for a night of pure bliss. You’d even told him as much, causing his cheeks to turn the same shade of red as his hair. That had only caused you to laugh even harder, which in turn had made him laugh, too. You’d both fallen into a fit of exuberant laughter, before the strain of so much exercise had led you into unconsciousness.

Grell makes a grunting noise in his sleep, snapping you out of you reminiscing. Even though neither of you have work for a few days, it’s still not a good idea to spend all day in bed; you’d hate to end up with a bad sleeping routine. So, with a heavy sigh, you sit up in bed, and push the duvet away from your body.

Not a moment later, Grell’s arm (which is somehow still wrapped around your waist) tries to coax you into retuning to bed, despite the fact that the arm’s owner is apparently still sleeping.  
You let out a small chuckle. ‘Hey, sleepyhead. Do you feel like letting me get up so I can make us both breakfast? I feel like I haven’t eaten for a week.’ You assume that’ll be enough to convince him, so you try to leave the bed once again.

Instead of letting you go however, Grell sits up, wraps his other arm around you, and pulls you flush against his body, before he starts kissing your neck. You immediately relax into his embrace, despite the fact that you really should be getting up now…  
As Grell feels you relax, his hands move up to cup your breasts, and he begins to massage them gently as his mouth moves towards your ear. ‘Mm, I think I’d rather have you for breakfast. You’re just too delicious, you know. The taste of your mouth is like the sweetest wine, and as for the nectar from between your thighs...’ Grell moves a hand away from your breasts to slip between your thighs, seemingly expecting you to be wet. You are wet, absolutely soaked in fact, but it’s still cocky of him to just assume that you would be; you’d give him a lecture if you weren’t so busy surrendering to his touch.

You can practically hear Grell smirking behind you. ‘Soaking wet yet again. I am a lucky boy, aren’t I? Shall I make you feel like a lucky girl again? I promise I’ll get us breakfast afterwards. Anything your heart desires. What do you say? Pretty please?’ He slides two fingers straight into you, rubbing against your overused channel. Honestly, you’re lucky reapers are fast healers, or you’d be unbearably sore right now…

You sigh in spite of yourself, effectively surrendering to your lover. Ah, well. What harm will a few extra moments in bed do? Besides, if the erection digging into your spine is anything to go by, Grell is desperate for you right now. It would be unfair to deny you both something so pleasurable for the sake of routine. In fact, you may alter your routine anyway; waking up an extra hour early should give you and Grell plenty of time to make love every morning.

Grell correctly interprets your sighing, and releases his grip on you so he can shove your torso into the mattress. As he gets himself into position behind you (giving your opening a cheeky swipe with his tongue as he does), you decide to sass him a little. ‘You’re insatiable. How often will we have to make love to keep you satisfied?’ You’re hoping he takes your question for what it is; a teasing remark. You’d hate to accidentally offend him.

Your lover chuckles, entering you in one fluid motion. He leans over you, placing his hands over yours, and entwining your fingers. He gives your ear a very delicate nibble before whispering ‘Well, I wasn’t planning to spend my evenings playing checkers with my soulmate. Do let me know if it’s all too much though; I’ve managed to relieve myself for hundreds of years, I’ll have no problem doing it when you’re too tired. Whatever makes you happy.’ He plants a kiss on your spine before he begins thrusting, going at a leisurely pace once again. You moan into the bedsheets, glad to be physically reunited with your lover.  
As you and Grell continue to make love, you catch sight of his wrist, your own flush again the bed. His mark is now a vivid red, the mark of one who has finally found their perfect other half. You’re certain that if you were to look at yours, it would be identical, his and hers matching marks. You feel a few stray tears escape from your eyes, as you become overwhelmed by pure sentiment.

Grell notices your tears, and stop his movements immediately. ‘My love? What’s wrong? Am I hurting you? Do you want me to stop?’ Bless him and his kind heart. He’s happy to sacrifice his pleasure for your comfort; he’s everything you could ask for in a lover.  
You shake your head. ‘No, Grell. I don’t want you to stop. I never want you to stop. I’ve never felt so happy, it’s just… so much has happened to me over the course of my life, most of it bad. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Now, make love to me like you mean it. I want to be able to feel you for da- AH!’ Grell immediately starts moving again, only this time he's a lot more forceful, his hands grasping yours tightly as he pounds you into the mattress.

If you were loud last night, this morning you're positively cacophonous! You can't contain the noises coming out of your mouth as you savour the feeling of being plundered by Grell, every inch of your being consumed by passion. If he keeps this pace up much longer, he may very well break the bed!

Someone, Grell manages to increase his speed and force even further, fully convincing you that he's actually trying to break the bed! None of that matters now though, not when you're so close to finishing. Just a little more friction to your clit…

As if he can read minds, Grell subtly alters your position, managing to angle your clit towards a crease in the bedsheets. This proves to be just what you need, as it only takes a few more thrusts for you to finish, wailing out a noise that sounds vaguely like Grell's name. You hope he's up for even more of this later; you're fast becoming addicted to sex with him!

Grell manages to last an impressively long time, never slowing his pace even as your walls quiver around him. Nevertheless, even he has his limits. He finishes a few moments after your orgasm subsides, choosing to groan through barred teeth rather than bite down onto the bed again (or on to you, for that matter).

When he's finally regained his senses, Grell begins to apply soft kisses to your back, undoubtedly an apology for being so rough with you. He really has nothing to be sorry for though; if that's what he's like when he's being rough, he can be rough with you all he likes!

Kisses delivered, he carefully slips out of you, and rolls onto his back, simultaneously pulling you in for a cuddle. You go with no resistance at all, body too tired to do anything more taxing. You can feel Grell's heart beating erratically in his chest, and wonder if yours is in a similar state.

As you snuggle in ever closer, Grell finds his voice again. 'That was amazing. I think we're becoming rather good at this. Still, I think we'll be needing more practice. How about we try again after breakfast? It'll help us burn off some calories!' He makes to sit up, but you pull him back down, earning you a grunt. 'I thought you were hungry?!' 

You playfully smack his arm, giggling as you do. 'I am hungry, but stay a while. Breakfast can wait a few more moments.'

Grell softens completely, stroking your face with the back of his hand. 'I suppose it can. After all, I have waited so long to hold my soulmate in my arms. A few more moments sounds like heaven.' He kisses your forehead as he finishes talking. 

You smile up at him. 'There is no heaven. Only you.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much again for waiting. I hope to finish this story at some point next month. 
> 
> Sorry again, and thank you for reading


	9. Things To Come

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey,
> 
> Sorry it’s taken me so long to finish this; I’d almost forgotten about it if I’m honest.
> 
> Hope you enjoy ^.^

‘Just how many pairs of shoes do you own, Grell?’ you ask in an exasperated tone, as yet another box of shoes is opened. Honestly, had you known the true extent of Grell's shoe obsession, you never would have agreed to move in with him…

Well, you would have, but still.

Grell rolls his eyes at you. ‘Darling, if you have to ask, you’re better off not knowing.’ Fair enough. Still, at this rate, you’re going to have no storage for any of your clothes! You should have known that buying a three bedroom house was a bad idea; you’ll need at least two for Grell to use as wardrobe space! So much for expanding your family…

After your first night with Grell, things had fallen into place surprisingly quickly. You’d spend the majority of your remaining holiday time in bed together, studying each other’s bodies with great care and attention. The only times either of your left the sanctity of your bed was to pee, make dinner, or answer the door, which mercifully only happened once.

Two days after his drunken display, Ronald Knox had come knocking at your door, hanging his head in shame. He all but got on his knees and begged for forgiveness, promising that he’d never again act the way he had acted on that one fateful night. He’d also told you that he'd be willing to give William a chance, despite his misgivings. After all, if Grell could be paired up with a woman, they why not Ronald with a man? 

By the end of the holiday, one thing was clear to both you and Grell; you never wanted it to end. So the very next morning, you'd gone to William hand in hand with Grell, and formally put in a request for joint tenancy in a larger property. 

William had been uncharacteristically chipper about the whole thing. He’d started the ball rolling that very afternoon, congratulating you both on your newfound happiness.

It's been an anxious wait since then, but finally, you and Grell have a place of your own, and you no longer have to deal with that stupid door of yours (which, despite Grell's threat, you’d never actually fixed). Even Grell seems happy with the upgraded living space, even if it isn’t all that much bigger than his old house. All in all, life with Grell has been a great improvement. There's just one big issue…

The dreaded ‘B’ word has been hanging over you both ever since you applied for the house.

Given how you became a reaper, you hadn’t thought that reaper reproduce like humans do. However, it turns out that not only is reaper procreation a thing, its also just as important to them as it is to humans. From the moment you and Grell paired up its been ‘When are you having children then?’, and ‘has he knocked you up yet?’ Part of you wants to turn around and whack them square in the jaw, but another part of you is curious. Does Grell even want children? Up until recently, he hadn’t even considered that he'd end up with a woman, so the thought of having children probably hasn’t ever crossed his mind. He probably hasn’t even thought to think about it, despite the fact that he's almost certainly getting just as much stick as you, maybe even more so. You've been thinking of nothing but children recently however, considering how often you and Grell frequent the bedroom…

Anyway, now is not the day to think about that. Today is all about you and Grell solidifying your relationship by cohabitation. In all honesty though, you’re surprised that a society that puts so much stock into a traditional thing like having children allowed a non-married couple to move in together. Are they so keen for you to procreate that they don’t care if it’s done inside or outside of wedlock?

You’d think on this further, if Grell wasn’t looking up at you expectantly, waiting for a retort.

Never one to deny him, you think of something to say with a great degree of haste. ‘You may be right there, my love. Try not to buy too many pairs in the future though; one of these rooms has to be fit to sleep in.’ Well, it needs to be fit for more than just sleeping, buy you’re sure you don’t need to say as much to get Grell's mind racing…

You’re expecting Grell to make that very comment, possibly with a salacious grin on his face. Instead, his expression is almost pained, as if you've wounded him in some way. He opens his mouth to speak, but just as the words come out…

‘Ah, I see you’ve started to settle in already. Is the house to your liking? If its too small, I can always put another request in for you, if you’d be willing to wait six months or so.’ William has dreadful timing. Why is he even here? He’s not exactly Grell's pal or anything, and you yourself hardly see him outside of work. He really is dedicated if he’s spending his day off visiting you!

Grell lets out an irritated huff before answering. ‘It would be perfect, if my soulmate and I could have some time to ourselves. Look Willy, I know you appreciate what I said to Knox a while back, but you owe me nothing. If you truly want to thank me, then leave us alone for the evening.’ You and William exchange a look, both of you completely dumbfounded. Never have you ever seen Grell speak to anyone like that, especially not William. Has your little joke truly irritated him that much?!

William blinks twice, as his he’s trying to get the shock out of his eyes or something. He then looks down at his hands, in which lies a package wrapped in brown paper and string. 

He continues to stare at the package as he speaks. ‘Unless the entire world changed when I wasn't looking, its traditional to give a gift to people when they move into a new home. As your supervisor, it would be remiss of me to ignore such a tradition. Since I have clearly arrived at an inopportune moment, I shall take my leave. Here.’ He hands you the package before turning tail, heading straight for the door. 

You grab his arm before he makes it to the door. ‘Please, at least wait until we've opened your present. Grell is just stressed out from our move is all. We really appreciate what you’ve done for us. The house is perfect.’ You offer him a warm smile, hoping it'll be enough to stop him from storming out.

Your words seem to work. ‘I suppose I can stay while you do that, at least. It’s not much, but I daresay you’ll find a use for it in the future.’ Now you’re thoroughly intrigued. You make a gesture toward Grell, trying to coax him into opening the parcel. 

With a great deal of reluctance, Grell heaves himself off of the floor, taking the parcel from you as he does. You watch with great interest as he tears into the paper, revealing it’s contents in seconds.

A yellow knitted blanket, complete with a matching hat, booties, and mittens. The whole set is the perfect size for newborn baby.

Grell looks as though he wants to hit William in the face. 

Mercifully, he resists the urge, instead throwing the objects onto the floor, and storming out of the room.

Your cheeks heat up, but you’re not sure why. Is it Grell’s outrageous response, or the implications of William’s gift? Both perhaps? You’re not sure exactly what it is, but of one thing there is no doubt…

…you want the floor to open up and swallow you whole.

William is also blushing profusely, undoubtedly due to Grell's outburst. His words seem to reflect this. ‘Perhaps my gift is in poor taste. I just assumed, now that you both have the space to do so, you’d be planning to expand. I shouldn’t have made such a bold assumption. I fear I’ve undone all of my good work…’ You’re not sure such a thing is possible. He’s done so much for you recently, you’re not sure if any amount of Grell coaxing Ronald is ever going to pay him back. Even if his gift IS presumptuous…

You shake your head. ‘No harm done, William. I honestly don’t know what’s gotten into Grell today. He’s probably just stressed out by moving or something. I’ll talk to him in a second. Would you like a cup of tea? I think I know where I left the kettle…’ you make to go to the kitchen, only for William to stop you in the same way you’d stopped him.

Frowning slightly, William shakes his head. ‘I shan’t stay. It’s your first day in your new home. Besides, I’d rather not burn the bridges I’ve built. I’ll come back again once you’re settled. Sorry one again for any trouble I’ve caused.’ He puts a sympathetic hand on your shoulder, as if he knows how difficult calming Grell down is going to be. Ah, well. He’s yours to calm down, so you’ll do it. 

Nodding slightly, you offer him a smile. ‘It really isn’t a problem. Thank you for the gift.’ Even if it’s going to bring the issues in your mind straight into reality. You’re terrified of the strain this’ll put on your relationship. What if your views differ? What even is your view on this? Do you want children? You’ve been so concerned about Grell and his opinion that you’ve yet to form one for yourself, and you’re the one that would be carrying them for nine months (or less. What is the gestation period of a reaper?). You don’t know, and you don’t want to think about it until you know Grell’s views on the subject. After all, if you want children and he doesn’t… you don’t want to lose your soulmate over something like this.

William leaves as silently as he arrived, and you begin to search for Grell in the direction his footsteps went. 

Turns out he’s hiding in the smaller of the three bedrooms. He’s curled himself into a ball in the corner of the room, and he seems to be crying.

That’s really not a good sign. 

Sighing, you kneel down next to Grell, trying to look into his eyes. ‘Grell? Love? What’s wrong? I’m worried about you. I’ve never seen you like this…’ it’s a huge juxtaposition from his normal, more cheerful disposition. You only wish you knew why…

Grell looks up at you, eyes as red as his hair, with a frown on his face. ‘I’m thinking about which ONE of this rooms is fit to sleep in. Then we call fill the other two with shit, and spend the rest of our lives mindlessly hoarding until we die, just you and I.’ That’s… terrifyingly maudlin. And what does he mean ‘ONE room’? Does he want you to have separate beds.

You find yourself blinking rapidly as you talk, trying to hold back tears of your own. ‘If you’d rather we have separate beds, that’s fine. I just thought the whole point of us moving in together is that we’d get to be together. Am I so wrong for thinking that?’ Maybe Grell is more traditional than you’d thought. Perhaps he’d rather wait until marriage to share a bed with you permanently. Maybe he sees this last two months as a sinful mistake…

Panic seems to flash in Grell’s eyes briefly, before sorrow wins out. ‘We might at well. No point in us sharing, is there? Not with how useless my body is…’ now you’re confused. What the hell is he talking about.

Blinking heavily out of confusion this time, you try to verbalise your thoughts. ‘What are you on about? Do you suddenly think you’re terrible in bed or something? Because if that’s the case, you’re so wrong it’s painful. There is nothing in this world I love doing more than sharing my bed with you. You should know this by now.’ It may only be two months, but he knows how much finding your soulmate meant to you. All you want is to spend your life with him, inside and outside the bedroom. Why is he being like this all of a sudden?

Grell scoffs. ‘And what good has that done? I won’t sit here and lie to you, I crave those intimate moments with you. But I’ve still failed you on the most basic level.’ Is this conversation ever going to make sense?

You’re unsure how to answer, so you say the first thing that pops into your mind. ‘Making me orgasm? What, you think I’m faking them? I don’t even know how to fake them!’ You wouldn’t want to, either. You’d hate to lose out on Grell’s skill in the bedroom…

Grell stares at you wide-eyed, clearly as confused as you are. ‘I know you’re not faking them! But that’s not the point! The whole point of sex is having children, isn’t it? Yet here we are, after two glorious months of lovemaking, without a child in sight so to speak. Everyone in the office thinks I’m a failure, that I’m man enough to ever… to have you lose faith in me hurt more than I could bare, but having William rub it in like that was the final straw. I’m a failure.’ He covers his whole face with his hands, and begins sobbing loud enough for the neighbours to hear. 

Your head starts spinning. That’s the cause of all this? The fact that, to your knowledge at the very least, you’re not pregnant yet? That’s truly what’s making him miserable?

Well, it looks like you’re not the only one with baby issues, after all.

Desperate to put Grell’s mind at ease, you grab his head in his hands, and force him to look at you before speaking. ‘Stop it. How dare you? How dare you call yourself a failure, and how dare you say I’ve lost faith in you. It’s been two months, Grell. Besides, we’ve never even discussed children! If we’d talked about it, and you’d told me how you’ve been feeling, we could have avoided this. 

‘Also, William wasn’t trying to mock you or anything. If anything, giving us baby stuff means that he does have faith in you, that he knows we’ll manage to start a family.’ Well, at least you know that he wants one, or seems to at the very least. You only wish he’d spoken to you about it…

Grell’s mood seems to improve, but only slightly. ‘I suppose I can’t expect you to read my mind on things like this. And we have only been together two months. It took Mike from accounting a year to get the ball rolling with his soulmate. It’s just… you deserve everything. I want to give you everything you thought you’d never have. Even if it takes me a hundred years of trying, I swear I’ll make it happen for us. If you want it to, that is. I suppose it’s your choice at the end of the day. The idea of bringing my children into this world might be repulsive to you…’ how can he say something so horrible? As if there’s anything you could want more than that!

Well, maybe one thing. 

Shrugging your shoulders, you try your best to act nonchalant. ‘I suppose I could always carry a baby or two for you. I’d prefer it if you made an honest woman of me first though.’ Grell’s eyes light up, and you begin to wonder which of your words did that.

Turns out the final ones are the ones responsible for the grin on his face. ‘If I speak to William tomorrow, I can apply for a marriage licence. We could be wed in even less time it took us to move in. Of course, in reaper society, marriage licences are usually only granted to soulmates either with children or expecting them, except in the case of homosexual couples, but I’m certain Will will make an exception for us. In fact, I could even run after him now, get this ball rolling.’ He’s about to sprint for the house, until you grab onto him. Honestly, there’s been a lot of prematurely attempted exits from this house today…

Chewing on your bottom lip, you suggest a different trip. ‘If you really want to get out of unpacking, we could always visit a physician or something. After all, if I am pregnant, I’ll only be a couple of months along. We could ask them to see?’ That’s another thing Grell hasn’t considered. It’s not as if you’d be showing it you were only a few weeks gone. All this worry may be inconsequential.

If your suggestion of marriage had boosted his mood, this one takes him over the edge. ‘You’re right! Oh heavens, you’re right! What if my little tantrum has hurt Junior? We have to go, right this second!’ Grell grabs you by the arm, all but dragging you out of the house, a huge smile on his face. He practically skips on the walk down to the local physician, desperate to see if your theory is correct.

Either way, it doesn’t matter to you. You still have many centuries together, undoubtedly full of new adventures and challenges.

That’s just what happens when two hearts beat as one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess this is goodbye then. Thank you so much to everyone who read this. It means a lot.
> 
> Well then, until next time I guess ^.^

**Author's Note:**

> So, that's an interesting way to start a story :/
> 
> Next chapter shall feature Grell ;)
> 
> I hope to see you then :)


End file.
